Is your sustainability strategy sustainable? Creating a culture of sustainability

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this article is to present a multidisciplinary model that can be used as both a road map for practicing managers to create a sustainability focused culture within their own organizations, and as a guide for future research into the relationship between organizational culture and sustainability. Design/methodology/approach -A narrative synthesis approach is used to integrate extant empirical and practitioner literature spanning various disciplines to build a comprehensive model, including key propositions, to assist both practitioners and researchers alike. Case examples illustrating each component of the model in practice and implications for future research based on the key tenets of the model are also provided. Findings -Building an organizational infrastructure that fosters a culture of sustainability results in positive employee-and organizational-level sustainability performance.Research limitations/implications -The model presented is an important advancement in the sustainability literature. It is applicable to various sustainability efforts, and it may be applied regardless of the industry or the size of the companies undertaking sustainability initiatives. The model provides a framework to guide research into the relationship between organizational culture and sustainability. Future research should focus on the relationship between the different organizational factors identified in the model, organizational culture and sustainability performance. Practical implications -The multidisciplinary model presented can be used as a road map for practicing managers to create a sustainability focused culture within their own organizations. Originality/value -A gap exists in both the empirical and practitioner literature regarding the development and assessment of the organizational factors that foster a culture of sustainability. Moreover, no clear model exists with the expressed purpose of helping leaders create such a culture, while providing a framework to guide research into the relationship between organizational culture and sustainability. In this paper, a comprehensive model, including key propositions, to assist both practitioners and researchers alike is presented. Case examples illustrating each component of the model in practice and implications for future research based on the key tenets of the model are also provided.

“It’s Like Hating Puppies!” Employee Disengagement and Corporate Social Responsibility

“…However, while organizations may strive to create a cohesive and shared set of values by hiring those employees who have a strong culture and value fit (Galpin et al 2015), through the examination of disengaged employees, research findings suggest that not all employees belong to the same unified organizational culture. This brings to light the importance of organizational subcultures, which may have rival images and competing systems of meaning (Riley 1983).…”

“…In relation to corporate responsibility, strong CSR-focused cultures have been shown to enhance employee adoption of pro-sustainable behavior (Galpin et al 2015). Creating and sustaining pro-sustainable organizations arguably requires hiring employees who are willing to engage in CSR activities (Renwick et al 2012), which results in increasingly values focused criteria required of new hires.…”

Sustainable project management in urban development projects: a case study of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Project in Rivers State, Nigeria

“…According to Chan and Siu [20], the concepts of sustainable urban development emerged to guide policy makers solve social problems. As emphasised by Galpin et al [21] social support has great influence in breaking social norms and it encourages social cohesion. The following sections will address the research methodology.…”

Coverage Analysis of Indonesia Sustainability Assessment Tools: Similarity in Dimension and Assessment Results

“…Sustainability operations is concerned about natural resources, safety, and communities. One of the benefits from developing sustainability in their companies are protecting and strengthening their reputation, building public trust, increasing market share and customer loyalty [24]. In this case, the global research community has to develop new methods and metrics for sustainable manufacturing [5].…”